So I’m having a bit of a dilema, I’m wanting a Thruxton and I’m seriously looking at the new Thruxton FE as it looks great in the Green, however it’s £15k plus! This will be a second bike so it’ll only do around 1500 miles a year but it’s something I want for days out. I’m torn between getting the new FE or do I go for a 2nd hand RS, seems the Matt Black&Grey ones can be had for around £10-£11k. Also seen the Silver and Green for around £13K. Then just today I’ve seen a lovely 2016 Thurxton R in the Silver which is £8k cheaper than the FE, I could get this and would not be feeling guilty as it’s way cheaper than the FE. Any Thruxton R or RS owners who can give me some pointers please. Thruxton FE £15000 Thruxton RS £10500 Thruxton RS £12500 Thruxton R £8000
Hiya I have the R and love it. I find that a lot of feathering the clutch is required around slow turns and tight roundabouts. Rumour has it de cat fixes this. I also read somewhere that the RS is slightly smoother in this regard although I can only speak for the R. main differences Powder coated casings on RS Alloy casings on R (great to refurb if scratched but not so good in naff weather as more prone to corrosion) RS Slightly more powerful than the R Painted rims on RS Alloy rims on R. I prefer the chrome alloy rims personal choice. Ohlins rear spring colours Yellow on R Black on RS Yolke on RS is not polished. Yolke on R is polished chrome. Things to look out for on R Check the gear linkage especially where the ball joint meets gear lever, mine came loose and broke off. Ive now applied nail varnish to various bolts and nuts so i can see if any have moved. Gear linkage approx £60 Closely examine the barrel fins for any signs of coolant due to a porosity issue, u will need a torch in darker conditions ideally. Approx £2800 to replace. Whilst not mega common mine had this issue. I’d just make sure u buy from a dealer which ever way u go. I will have a think of other things tomorrow
Thank you very much for the information, I'm really struggling t justify spending £15k on the new FE as nice as it looks and can get a dealer RS for anywhere between £10.5 -£12.5K or get a earlier R for £7k, all from reputable dealers.
@Martylaa Sorry only you can decide in the end. And I am sure somewhere in your mind you have an answer. You just want the members to persuade you. Joe
I never asked are you looking for faired or un-faired? By default Faired has lower clip ons than un-faired in case a faired version catches your eye. Mine is un-faired and after 1.5 hrs u can feel it on the old wrists so faired will be even more harsh. I’m early 40’s in case it helps to gauge, but its nowt compared to a Ducati Panigale V2. The V2 would be in the premier league of pain and mine division 1. Anyway as I don’t know what ir current bike is this statement might not be relevant if the yellow ohlins springs are not to your liking I had mine changed to uprated springs which only come in black anyway. They do not cost a lot of money. The R is not tubeless guessing the rs/fe are the same. Mine is being converted to tubeless as we speak. In terms of genuine optional extras to look out for. Vance and Hines are prob the most common slip ons and appear more difficult to get hold of in brushed stainless steel now. I have the ones without baffles and they pop and pop and pop just lovely v standard. Tail tidy is great, indicators look way nicer in LED with silver surround than the standard orange ones. There were 2 sizes of LEDs i went for large as I want to be seen although some bikes u see for sale will have the smaller LED’s so worth keeping an eye out for. There is a screen although it seems to cause my head to get battered I plan on removing it this season to see if the air moves towards my body. Out of curiosity what is your other bike as I never talked about comfort or asked how far u plan to go on a single outing? I have a white coloured Thruxton R. I loved the looks of the FE based upon images only. I saw one in the flesh purely from a cosmetic perspective I prefer my bike. Heres another option you could buy the R and ask tts performance near Triumph Hinkley to put a supercharger on it and still have change in your pocket v the fe.
Looking at the photos I would go for the R at eight grand. Looking at new machines I cannot see £900 between the RS and the FE. It’s all about exclusivity and bragging rights.
Appreciate the detailed responses, I have a GS for long runs out or touring. Always liked the idea of having a Thruxton for days rides out for a coffee then back home...
Thanks, I actually went and had a good look at the Matt grey RS today, looked nice but no service history, previous owner did it himself, so I won't be going for that one. The Grey/Green RS I am really tempted by, its actually less than £12k now and sounds and looks superb (had a video sent over to me) but its too far for me to go and look over. I'm waiting on hearing back about the Silver R and thats actually just been dropped to £7k. Then of course there's the FE, to me that looks the best but the price is killing me trying to justify buying it over the others...
I tend to limit my rides to country roads and total journey around 3 hours anything more is painful anything up to an hour is fine. One thing it does do is turn heads everywhere I go. For some reason people like to take photographs of it when I park it up some assume it is old with my personalised plate on it Funny really Fuel wise forgot to mention that when the uk screwed around with E5 v E10 my bike began to choke on anything that isn’t high octane although manufacturers documentation suggests otherwise. Worth checking how the RS or FE fair. I get approx 150 miles out of £18 give or take which is fab.
If u plan on putting the bike in an oxygen filled bubble to stare at and not ride the fe is a good shout, otherwise get an r or rs. I too like the green and silver RS alternatively the ton up edition is nice or should i say marmite.
Nice colour scheme. Other than colour and not knowing how much smoother the rs is compared to the R I’d argue that there isn’t a whole lot of difference between the two. Looks wise its down to colour scheme the R has aged very well. Not sure if u clocked my additional comment re difference between faired and un-faired and clip on height the difference is significant.
Hello, I have exactly the same R as the photo shows: Silver Ice colour. Pricewise I would go for the R. There are only differences in colours (rims, springs, casings..) It is the same bike but with a few less hp but still plenty to get speeding tickets! No less fun on the R than on RS or FE. But in the end, it is all about personal taste and budget . Have fun and ride safe!!
Power stats difference between R and RS is only 7 bhp which I defy anyone to be able notice. Torque is the same for both machines at 111 Nm which is pretty good in my book but the bhp at 96 and 103 respectively for a 1200 machine looks to be deliberately subdued.
I think you've answered your own question in the first sentence,"I'm seriously looking at the new FE", the rest is just excuses not to buy one. If you couldn't afford it you wouldn't be considering it so I'd say get the one you really want. Just my 2p worth.
